Paint brush and hanger therefor



March 1969 s. EDELSON ETAL PAINT BRUSH AND HANGER THEREFOR Filed Nov. 16, 1966 F/GB INVENTORS STAMLE) 6064504! 6601 66 1?. 039/6 ATTORNEY5 United States Patent 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Paint brush has -a hole extending through handle and ferrule, and a length of tubing extending through the hole, ends of tubing being bent outwardly against outer faces of ferrule. Hanger having at least one hook adapted to fit over upper edge of paint can has a finger adapted to be received within tube-lined hole.

This invention relates to paint brushes, and more particularly to a paint brush and hanger combination.

During periods of non-use, it is most desirable for a paint brush to be oriented with its bristles pointing downwardly in order to maintain the original shape of the brush. If the brush is laid on its side or arranged with its bristles pointing upwardly, the bristles soon become distorted, especially if a wet brush is allowed to dry while in such a condition. With paint brushes available at present, if a painter temporarily interrupts a job, there is no convenient means available to support the paintfilled brush with its bristles pointing downwardly. Often, the brush is simply rested on the paint can, thus marring the can and distorting the brush. Furthermore, there are no means available at present for conveniently supporting a brush in :a desirable position while it is left to soak in a paint solvent.

An additional problem presented by conventional paint brushes stems from the manner in which the ferrule, which joins the bristles to the brush handle, is secured to the handle. The ferrule is a relatively wide, but thin, metal band into which one end of the bundle of bristles is cemented, the bristles extending into the ferrule for a portion of its width. Accommodated within the portion of the ferrule not occupied by the bristles is the head of the handle. The most common way to secure the ferrule to the handle, in brushes having a width of about one and one-half inches or more, is to drive nails through the ferrule into the handle, which is usually made of wood. It has been found that as a result of the continuous swelling and contracting of the Wooden handle portion within the ferrule, due to its becoming soaked with paint and solvent and then dried, the nails tend to loosen, and the handle falls out of the ferrule.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome both problems outlined above by providing means for suspending a paint brush within a paint can with its bristles pointing downwardly, and at the same time strengthening the connection between the handle and ferrule of the brush.

It is another object to provide such means which is thoroughly practical from the points of view of manufacture on a mass production basis, and use.

To accomplish these objectives, the ferrule and the head of the handle are provided, when assembled, with aligned holes. A sleeve or bushing, preferably of metal and having a length in excess of the thickness of the handle is then inserted into the holes and its ends are bent outwardly to lie against the outer faces of the ferrule so that the sleeve cannot be removed from its location. It will be obvious that a sleeve so arranged will prevent disengagement of the ferrule and handle. Furthermore, a

3,432,875 Patented Mar. 18, 1969 hanger is provided having at least one hook adapted to fit over the upper edge of an open paint can. Projecting from the hanger in a direction away from the hook is a finger adapted to be received by the bushing-lined hole in the paint brush. Thus, by simply hooking the hanger on to a paint can, a brush can be supported on the hanger finger projecting into the can.

Additional features and ada-vntages of the invention will be apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a paint brush and hanger combination according to this invention supported on a paint can;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the paint brush and hanger looking in the direction of the arrows 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 1.

The paint brush illustrating the present invention comprises a bundle of bristles 10, constituting the paintapplying means, a handle 12, of wood or other suitable material, and a ferrule 14 joining the bristles and handle. The ferrule is a thin band, usually of metal, extending continuously around an elongated area, as best seen in FIG. 3, and is open at both its ends. One end of the bristle bundle 10 extends into one open end of the ferrule 14, and a suitable cement of any well-known type bonds the enclosed bristle ends to each other and to the ferrule.

The handle .12 has a relatively narrow shank adapted to be gripped by the user, and a relatively wide head 16 extending into the other open end of the ferrule. The head 16 may abut the cemented end of the bristle bundle, but usually a space remains between the two, as indicated in FIG. 1. The handle is secured to the ferrule by means of nails 18, driven through the ferrule into the handle. It is these nails which tend to become loosened, as the brush is used, thereby permitting the handle and ferrule to separate.

As thus far described, the paint brush is entirely conventional.

According to the present invention, the head 16 of the handle is provided with a hole 20 extending perpendicular to the planes of the broad faces of the head. The hole 20 is on the side of the center of gravity of the brush opposite to the bristles 10 for a reason which will be obvious as the description continues. Each broad face of the ferrule 14 is also provided with a hole equal in diameter to the hole 20. The holes in the ferrule are so located that upon assembly of the handle and ferrule, the hole 20 in the handle head 16 is aligned with the holes in the ferrule. In practice, it has been found advantageous to form the holes in the ferrule and handle head after assembly of the ferrule and handle to insure proper alignment of the holes.

Lining the hole 20, and the holes in the ferrule, is a hollow sleeve or bushing 22, preferably of metal, the ends 24 of which are bent outwardly to lie against the outer faces of the ferrule 14. It will be appreciated that the enlarged ends 24 prevent removal of the bushing 22 from the hole 20, and the body of the bushing, passing through the holes in both the handle and ferrule, permanently locks the handle and ferrule together. Consequently, even if the nails 18 become loosened, there is no danger that the ferrule and handle will separate.

The hanger 26 may be formed of sheet material, such as sheet metal, and has a shape best shown in FIG. 1. Along one vertical edge, the hanger presents a series of hooks 28, 30 and 32, and an abutment leg 34. The hooks and leg are not only spaced apart vertically, but they are also offset from one another horizontally so that each 3 book extends outwardly farther than the hook below it. Projecting in a direction opposite to the hooks, from the other vertical edge of the hanger 26, is a finger 35. The largest cross-sectional dimension of the finger is less than the internal diameter of the bushing 22 so that the finger can readily pass through the bushing.

From the above description, the manner in which the present arrangement is used will be apparent. The drawings show a paint can 36, from which the lid has been removed, holding a supply of paint 38. To support the hanger on the can 36, the hook 30 passes over the upper edge of the can and engages its outer margin. The hanger is stabilized by the abutment of the hook 32 against the inner surface of the can wall. The finger 35 thus projects radially into the can, and the brush may be supported within the can, above the level of the paint 38, by passing the bushing-lined hole in the brush over the finger. If desired, the finger may have an enlargement at its free end, as shown, to prevent accidental removal of the brush from the hanger. Since the bristles 10 and center of gravity of the brush are below the finger 35, the bristles hang pointing downwardly, which as mentioned above, is the most desirable orientation.

It the level of the paint in the can were higher, the brush could still be hung with the bristles 10 out of contact with the paint by supporting the hanger 26 by means of the hook 32 and leg 34. Furthermore, if it is desired to soak the brush in a solvent, the hanger can be sup ported lower in the can by means of the hook 28, so that the minimum amount of solvent need be placed in the can. The hanger 26 may be provided with a hole 40 for use in hanging it up when not in use.

The invention has been shown and described in preferred form only, and by way of example, and many variations may be made in the invention which will still be comprised within its spirit. It is understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specific form or embodiment except insofar as such limitations are included in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

1. A paint applicator arrangement comprising a paint brush having a rigid handle and paint applying means carried at one end of the handle, a through hole in said handle on the side of the center of gravity of said brush opposite said paint applying means, and hanger means adapted to be supported on the edge of an open paint can,

said hanger means including a body portion, a horizontal finger projecting from said body portion and adapted to be accommodated within said hole, and a plurality of hook portions projecting from said body portion in a direction opposite to that of said finger, each of said hook portions being adapted to fit over the upper edge of a paint can, said hook portions being located one above another, so that the depth of said finger within a paint can can be varied depending upon which book portion engages the upper edge of the paint can, and each hook portion being longer than the one below it so that when a hook portion is placed over a can edge the hook portion below it engages the inner surface of the can wall to stabilize said hanger.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,206,010 11/1916 Mackeever 248-360 1,397,807 11/ 1921 Hecht 248-360 FOREIGN PATENTS 411,885 4/1910 France. 1,131,225 10/1956 France.

WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner.

L. C. MACHLIN, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 248-360 

